HE is not sure what the figures really are, but Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente is sure of one thing: The executive branch is not allowed by law to disproportionately cut the budget.
Asked if he knows that each lawmaker’s budget was cut by 16.3 percent, Benavente said: “I’m not sure what the numbers are. But certainly, it would have been illegal for us to cut the Legislature’s (budget) more than anybody else’s. That certainly will be a violation.”
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Stanley T. Torres said that based on the issuance of quarterly allotments provided to them by the Office of Management and Budget, each lawmaker will only receive $32,537 or 16.3 percent lower than the previous quarterly allotment of $38,750.
“This is the figure that appeared on the account of each lawmaker. We have not received any directive or letter from the Office of the Governor that this will be changed or the 8 percent will be reinstated,” said Torres, R-Saipan.
The House has recently implemented cost-cutting measures following the administration’s decision to cut their budget by 16.3 percent.
Based on the March 11 memorandum issued by Benavente, the budget for each government agency was cut by 8.02 percent, except for the budget of the Public School System.
But Benavente said that after they were advised by Attorney General Robert T. Torres that the cut, based on P.L. 3-68, should be proportionate, they have now made the same cut for PSS.
On the Legislature’s budget, Benavente said “there continues to be a lot of confusion” about it.
But he said that if the budget cut for the Legislature was indeed 16.3 percent, “then it (should be) that much for everyone in this government.”
